Seat transformation bracket

• US 10,377,281 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Pleskot, Andrzej
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Mark R
• Application Number:
  US15/793,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20190118685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 29734415, 29734414, 29734411, 2973441
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/045 Longitudinal adjustment by means of articulated rods supporting the seat, e.g. parallelogram mechanisms B60N2/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/164 Linear actuator, e.g. screw mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/682 Joining means

Abstract

A seat assembly for a motor vehicle includes a side member, a front link, a rear link and a rail. The side member, the front link, the rear link and the rail form a four-bar linkage with four way movement. The seat assembly further includes a transformation bracket that is attached to the first side member and connected to the rear link to convert the seat assembly with four way movement to two way movement.

Claims

1. A seat assembly for a motor vehicle comprising:

a side member;

a front link;

a rear link;

a rail together with the first side member, the front link and the rear link forming a four-bar linkage with four way movement; and

a transformation bracket that is attached to the first side member and connected to the rear link to convert the seat assembly with four way movement to two way movement, the transformation bracket having two raised portions that engage with an opening in the side member to prevent relative motion between the rear link and the side member.

2. The seat assembly of claim 1 further comprising a second side member spaced apart and substantially parallel to the first side member.

3. The seat assembly of claim 2 further comprising a front tube and a rear tube spaced apart from the front tube, the first side member and the second side member being connect by the front tube and the rear tube.

4. The seat assembly of claim 2 further comprising a second transformation bracket that is attached to the second side member and connected to a second rear link to convert the seat assembly with four way movement to two way movement.

5. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the transformation bracket is attached to the side member with a plurality of bolts.

6. The seat assembly of claim 5 wherein the plurality of bolts is three bolts.

7. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the transformation bracket is connected to the rear link with a bolt.

8. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein two of the four way movement are vertical movements with respect to the rail and the other two movements are translational movements along the rail.

9. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the two way movement are translational movements along the rail.

10. A transformation bracket for a motor vehicle seat assembly, the transformation bracket comprising:

a main body portion attached to a side member of the seat assembly; and

two raised portions that engage with an opening of a side member of the seat assembly, the main body portion being connected to a rear link of the seat assembly, the engagement of the two raised portions with the opening of the side member preventing relative motion between the rear link and the side member.

11. The transformation bracket of claim 10 wherein the transformation bracket is attached to the side member with a plurality of bolts.

12. The transformation bracket of claim 11 wherein the plurality of bolts is three bolts.

13. The transformation bracket of claim 10 wherein the transformation bracket is connected to the rear link with a bolt.

14. The transformation bracket of claim 10 wherein two of the four way movement are vertical movements with respect to the rail and the other two movements are translational movements along the rail.

15. The transformation bracket of claim 10 wherein the two way movement are translational movements along the rail.

16. A seat assembly for a motor vehicle comprising:

a first side member and a second side member spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the first side member;

a first front link and a second front link;

a first rear link and a second rear link;

a first rail and a second rail spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the first rail, the first rail together with the first side member, the first front link and the first rear link and the second rail together with the second side member, the second front link and the second rear link forming a four-bar linkage with four way movement;

a first transformation bracket that is attached to the first side member and connected to the first rear link; and

a second transformation bracket that is attached to the second side member and connected to the second rear link, the first and second transformation brackets preventing relative movement between the side members and the respective rear links to convert the seat assembly with four way movement to two way movement,

wherein each of the first and second transformation brackets has two raised portions that engage with the first side member and the second side member, respectively, to prevent relative motion between the first rear link and the first side member and between the second rear link and the second side member.